Dead or Alive
by sourire
Summary: Kenshin is given a chance to see what life would have been like if Tomoe had lived. In the end, he must make the choice as to whether he'd rather live life with Tomoe dead or alive...
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: Nobuhiro Watsuki-san a fait Rurouni Kenshin, pas moi! [NW made RK, not me!]

Dead or Alive

PROLOGUE

The sloshing of water inside the bucket could be heard as he made his way over to the cemetery. He stopped in front of the unmistakable tombstone. It had grown some dust since the last time he had visited. Kenshin began to polish the tombstone with the sleeve of his haori, letting the name read bright and clear. He traced his fingers over the characters that spelled out "Tomoe". He sighed. _Why did you have to go? Why didn't I stop myself before I swung the sword that ended your life? _The scene replayed itself in front of his mind's eye. The moment was so clear, so vivid. He knew that there was no way he could have stopped in time. She had jumped out so fast to try and save him. He clutched the tombstone in pain and anguish. _Tomoe… why did you have to go?…_

*** 

He was making his way onto the backroads of Kyoto. He was surrounded by wheat fields, and he couldn't tell where he was. _Geez! Why did I let myself get lost like this? I guess I got distracted thinking about this morning…_

His reminiscing of the visit to the grave had caused him to wander aimlessly to… wherever he was now. He stumbled on pieces of a broken wood structures that resembled cross shapes. He looked down at them, _Those look familiar… Whatever,_ _I have to find my way back to the inn before it gets too dark, Kaoru-dono and the others might get worried._ THUMP! "Oro?!" Kenshin had tripped on a big gray stone. _Where is my head today? How could I not have seen that rock? There are three of them and their up to my shin no less! Geez!_ He was about to turn and go back around the path, when he stopped. He whipped around and knelt down before the rocks. These stones were definitely familiar. As soon as his fingers grazed one of the rocks he knew there was no mistake. These were the tombstones of the three women who had saved his life as a young boy. _Kasumi-san. Sakura-san. Akane-san._ He closed his eyes and said a small prayer. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer kneeling before the stones. He found himself before three beautiful women. 

It was them. They were seated side by side across from him in pure, white garments camouflaging themselves with the snowy white background. Kasumi was the first to speak. "Let us explain why are you here. Shinta, we have been watching over you since that day we had to leave you. We watched as you slayed all those people as the Hitokiri Battousai, and we watched as you have been trying to atone for all their lives."

Sakura continued, "We are also aware of all the pain you have been carrying all these years. With the loss of Tomoe, and with all the memories of your days as a hitokiri engraved in your heart. As people who love you and want the best for you we cannot bear to watch you suffer any longer."

His eyes shifted to Akane who was getting ready to speak. "We have been allowed to help you bear some of your suffering."

Kenshin was silent, all he could do was sit in awe at what was happening before him. 

Sakura broke in, "What was one of the greatest losses you have experienced, Shinta?"

_One thing? How could he only choose one? _Before he could speak a sense of pain began to throb on this left cheek, he could feel the cross scar beating with this heart. He put his hand to the scar, feeling it thump with his pulse. The memories of that morning suddenly flooded his mind, and suddenly Kenshin had an answer. "Tomoe."

The three women looked at each other in a type of amusement, as they already knew that would be the answer. "Would you like us to help you with that particular loss?"

He nodded slowly, unsure what the outcome would be. 

"We will arrange for you to go back to the time of Tomoe's death. You will be able to stop yourself before you make that last blow."

"But there is no way I could've stopped myself before it happened! She came too fast… too fast…", he trailed off remembering the horrible moment again.

"Don't worry, Shinta. There is always a way."

He looked up at Kasumi as she finished, and Akane began.

"After you see what life would have been like with Tomoe, we shall let you choose which life you feel has less suffering."

"Be wary though, Shinta, there is one trick to us helping you. You will not have any recollection of us telling you this or anything that happened after Tomoe's death in your current life. So while you live the life where Tomoe survives, you will not know that you had another life in which she died. And you will only be able to make a choice of which life to live if you are able to realize and remember your current life. This was an aspect that was added by a higher power to test the connection between your life now and the one you shall live…"

"Shinta, there had to be a backside, because the interaction of the dead and the living is very heavily frowned upon. But we felt we had to help you while we watched you suffer before Tomoe's grave."

Kenshin stood in bewilderment. They cared for him so deeply, yet they would toy with his life so carelessly? Of course he had always hated the feeling of pain and sorrow as he remembered his first love, but _this?_ This was too much. How could he possible live a life without all the people he held so dear to him? He wouldn't have Sanosuke, Yahiko, and most importantly Kaoru. He was about to decline their offer, but Kasumi interjected with the only too familiar words before he could open his mouth.

"Shinta, you just think of living on. You couldn't choose your way of life like we did…"  
Kenshin felt his eyes open wide as his eyes began to blur.

"… but now's your chance!"

He felt his body give way to a strange feeling as he gave one last thought… _Kaoru-dono…_

Everything went white.

~+~+~

Hi hi! Don't forget to read the other chapters! Enjoy! Thank you for reading, and feel free to review!

!Un sourire pour tout le monde! ß someone asked what that meant, it means: "!A smile for everyone!"

J


	2. Part 1 Contrast to the Past

Disclaimer: All rights of RK go to Nobuhiro Watsuki-sama!! He's soooooo awesome!!! *SQUEAL*

Dead or Alive

PART I. Contrast to the Past

His head was pounding. His eyes were still damaged from the bright light, and his ears were still throbbing from the sound of the explosion. _It looks like I'll lose my life in this battle, but I'm still going to defeat him… Tomoe, please live on into a new, happier life…_ The snow was falling over his eyes as he made his way over to strike the final blow... _For- Tomoe? _The Battousai stopped his sword mid-swing. Tomoe had stepped in between them, she was cut across the shoulder by ­­­­­­Tatsumi before the Battousai had time to push her out of the way. Enraged he could only feel the beating of his heart… "AHHH!!!!" he let out a battle cry as he sliced his enemy in half. 

The blood sprayed upon them like rain. 

"You made it rain blood again."

The Battousai ran over to her and held her in his arms.

"Tomoe! Are you alright?"

"It was just a cut on the arm."

"Why did you come between us?"

"To protect the one I love." 

She smiled.

And with that, the entire future has changed... Tomoe is alive.

~+~+~

Ahh… short and simple! Please keep reading! =D

(= !Un sourire pour tout le monde! =)


	3. Part 2 Lovers Lost, Paths Crossed

DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin is not owned by moi! Too bad!

Dead or Alive

PART 2. Lovers Lost, Paths Crossed 

Years later in 1878...

It was a foggy morning in downtown Tokyo. Suddenly the sound of whistles could be heard... the police. "Mate! Mate!!"

A huge bulk of a man was running throughout the streets. He bellowed "I am the Hitokiri Battousai of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu!!!", as he cut through each of the policemen like they were pieces of paper.

"What the-?"

The question was stopped by the sound of a young woman making her way into the scene...

"Mate Hitokiri Battousai! You'll pay for dirtying the name of our school!"

A young woman holding a bokutou ran towards the so-called Hitokiri Battousai. He easily cut her weapon in half, and laughed maniacally as he was about to give her the same fate. 

"I'd stop that if I were you."

They both stopped to look at the mysterious man with the flaming red hair and a slash scar on his left cheek. Close behind him was a beautiful woman who had an eerie grace about her. The "Battousai" put his sword down, and pointed it towards the stranger instead. "What are you going to do about it? I'm the legendary Hitokiri Battousai, I'll kill you."

"Che. What do you know about the legendary Hitokiri? You're just a loser running around behind a fake name... I accept your challenge."

The clink of the sword coming out of the sheath hung in the air. The "Battousai" started to make his way over to his mysterious opponent. The fight had begun.

In less than one second the fake Battousai was sprawled on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Kenshin turned around towards the girl, "He shouldn't be bothering your school's name any longer." With that the red headed man and his woman quietly began to depart.

The girl sat there stunned at what had just occurred. What had just happened? Who was that man…? She felt she had a strange, unrecognizable connection to him. She sat there stunned, until she couldn't bear being near the bloody mess anymore.

"So remind me again why we are in Tokyo?", Kenshin asked his wife.

"Why do you think we are here?"

"Because you said we needed a change of scenery from Kyoto... and I suggested we come to Tokyo, which is a relatively more peaceful place."

"So you do know."

He looked at her, she gave him one of her rare smiles.

They were making their way over to the Akabeko, which was known around Tokyo as one of the best Gyunabe places in town. As they got inside Kenshin spotted the girl from that morning. She was sitting alone at a table happily eating her sukiyaki. When she looked up, they made eye contact for a brief moment. She smiled at him in recognition. He merely nodded in acknowledgement as he and Tomoe were seated. After that, though, he couldn't stop looking at her. 

"Are you looking at that young woman from this morning?"

"Oh… yes. It's strange. She keeps smiling at me."

"Smiling… oh look, she's making her way over…"

Kenshin made a grab for his sword. Tomoe covered his hand. He looked up. She was shaking her head. She had been trying to get him out of his samurai ways for some years now. The only good improvement he had made was getting a Sakabatou. 

"Hi! Thanks so much for this morning!"

"It was no problem. He was dirtying many people's names."

"I'm Kamiya Kaoru! And you?"

"Himura. Himura Ken-" he caught himself. This was a change he had been planning on making for the Meiji era. 'Kenshin' was his name as a swordsman, now he was just a man living his life. "Himura Shinta, and this is my wife Tomoe."

"Nice to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you both!", Kaoru was so cheerful and enthusiastic. The couple wasn't sure what to make of her. 

"So! It was pretty cool how you defeated that fake Battousai! They say his name was Hiruma Gohei!"

"…"

"And how did you manage to defeat him without killing him? That bloody mess made it seem like he was slashed to pieces! But it seems only parts of him were crushed and that a lot of blood had just come from his mouth, since you know-"

She stopped when she saw the couple suddenly look very non-hungry. "Oops. Sorry."

"It's alright. Excuse me, while I go to the bathroom." Tomoe stood to get up. 

_Funny. _As soon as Tomoe left, a peculiar feeling Shinta didn't even know was there seemed to vanish. He looked up at the girl who had seated herself down next to him. She smiled. _Why does her smile seem to move me?_ It wasn't like Tomoe's smile, that was usually vague, and a rarity in itself. It was more pleasant and happy… it held so much feeling. "So!" she broke him out of his train of thought. "How did you manage not to kill him? I mean, I saw the way you struck him."

"Sakabatou."

"Saka..?"

"Reverse sword." He pulled the sword from his belt, and took it out of its sheath. "The blade is on the wrong side, it can cut anything but human flesh."

Her eyes were glowing and wide-eyed. "Cooooooooool!!!!!!"

He had to smile. 

His smile was small, but it made Kaoru very happy. _What could it be?_, she thought._ I make people smile all the time! Why is he so special?_  

He felt uneasy as she studied him, why was she gazing at him so intently? All he knew was that he had never met anyone like her. At least, he couldn't be too sure he hadn't. Why did he feel a strange sense of familiarity with her, especially in this place? No, he was sure he'd never met anyone so naïve and on top of things at the same time. Yet, the feeling he'd known her once before stuck to him in the back of his mind.

He found himself drowning helplessly in her radiant, cerulean eyes, as she found herself spellbound by his deep, amethyst eyes. They didn't know it, but they had been gazing into the eachother's eyes for quite some time as they were both lost in their thoughts. However, Tomoe's return immediately broke their trance. Tomoe announced it was time for them to go…

~+~+~

Bonjour! How do you all like it so far? Please help me in my process of writing this story by leaving a review, I really appreciate them! Thank you for reading this far! Merci beaucoup!

\(^o^)/  SMILE!!!)


	4. Part 3 Missing Places for Nagging Faces

DISCLAIMER: Everything here came from my brain! Except for the characters, and their backgrounds, and a whole buncha other stuff… I guess my brain got off easy! ;)

PART 3. Missing Places for Nagging Faces

After the couple had finished their meal they left the restaurant. Kaoru had offered them a place to stay at her dojo, but they declined stating they had already made previous arrangements. In addition to that, Kenshin, excuse me, _Shinta_ had an impeding feeling about the girl, a strange feeling of… well, strangeness overcame him whenever Kaoru and Tomoe were together. Respectively, the couple and girl went their separate ways… but not for long…

Shinta and Tomoe made their way over to the inn they were staying at. 

Shinta pretended he was sleeping as Tomoe wrote in her diary. He never knew what she wrote about and he never dared to read it. He was about to talk about the strange feelings he got from Kaoru girl when she got in the futon, but she fell asleep all too quickly. He decided to try and forget about it.

During the night Shinta couldn't close his eyes. Every time they would close, images of distant memories would flood his dreams. People he couldn't recognize, some who looked familiar and yet he couldn't place them. He thought maybe he saw that Kaoru girl in his dreams, but whenever he would look at her, she would vanish. He tore his eyes open for the millionth time that night. He couldn't take it anymore.

***

Shinta and Tomoe decided they'd go to town for some shopping, the market was on the other side of the bridge from their inn. As they were making their way across the bridge, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Ttk! Ttk! Ttk! Ttk! Ttk! Shinta put his hand on his sword. He whipped around just as a spiky haired little boy grabbed his wallet. Shinta grabbed him by the collar, retrieved his wallet, and threw the little boy to the ground. When he saw the look of a little pity on his wife's face as the boy struggled to get up, Shinta took out a coin and tossed it to the boy. "Here, take this", he turned to go.

:DOINK: The coin hit the back of Shinta's head. He whirled around. The little boy was standing up with a defiant look on his face. "I, Myojin Yahiko, am from a Shizoku family! I won't take pity from anyone! Especially you! You loser!" With that the little boy ran off onto the opposite side of the bridge."What a proud little boy. It's good to see a samurai spirit once in a while. I'm sure I'll never forget his face…" _His face… I've seen it somewhere before. But where? _Shinta tried to hide his bewilderment, and ignore his wife's as she wondered why he hadn't finished his thought. Shinta and Tomoe made their way towards town in silence.

***

"Do you see that man over there? That's Zanza… one of the strongest street fighters there is."

These types of remarks were being made all over downtown Tokyo as Shinta and Tomoe were making their way to the market. Finally, at the most recent comment, Shinta's curiosity got the better of him as he turned his head to where they were pointing. 

He was expecting a huge, bulky man that would take up half of the walkway. Instead he saw a tall, lean male who looked to be in his late teens, with rooster hair. _He looks… interesting…_ Shinta turned back towards Tomoe who was examining daikon. He was excited because that night she said she would make him his favorite dish. A scream forced Shinta to spin back around. 

It seemed an unfortunate drunk had made the mistake of challenging Zanza and had gotten his butt kicked. He lay sprawled on the street with his arms twisted behind him. Zanza snorted, "Don't go off fighting drunk again… next time you might die." With that, the mysterious street fighter turned his back for all to see the character for 'Aku' (evil) written on his back. Shinta's head was spinning… that man… something about him made Shinta's stomach reel. What was it with all these familiar faces in Tokyo? "We should get back to the inn." Tomoe nodded in agreement. 

On the way back, Shinta noticed Tomoe's face was a little more cheerless than usual. "Is there anything wrong, Tomoe?"

"Oh… I'm not sure why… but something about this town just makes me feel like I don't belong."

_Like she doesn't belong? What's worse is I feel it too._ "Nonsense. Don't worry we'll be out of here by the end of this week anyways. Back to good ole Kyoto." He wanted to laugh when he said that. _The place of countless horrors? The place that was the battlefield from Hell during the Bakumatsu? "Good ole"… what a way to describe it._

His cynical thoughts were suspended by the sounds of children singing. There were a group of little kids running around a tree singing a song…

_The fireflies are coming_

_Tonight is the night_

_Their wings shall be humming_

_To cast a spell that's bright_

_The fireflies are coming_

_Coming tonight_

You shall awake by the drumming 

And see what's in the light 

Shinta shuddered at the innocently eerie words of the song.

"It must be season for the fireflies…", Tomoe said softly.

"Oh yea… did you want to see them with me tonight?"

"I would like to. But, I must decline." Without another word Tomoe walked off towards the inn alone.

She always leaves me alone… And he would always go after her no matter how many times it happened. 

~+~+~

Thank you to those who reviewed! You spurred me on to keep writing this story! ::BIG SMILE::

I hope you liked this chapter! I'm doing my best to keep it enticing! I hope it worked!! ^____^

Thanx you for reading, & do come back for more! ;)


	5. Part 4 The Mirror is Shattered

DISCLAIMER: RuroKen belongs to the respectable owners! 

PART 4. The Mirror is Shattered

After dinner Shinta once again invited his wife to come see the fireflies with him. "Let's go watch the fireflies Tomoe. It'd be nice just to go out and relax."

Once again she declined. "I'd rather not."

So he left her at the inn, where she sat and wrote in her diary.

He made his way the path to grassy area where the fireflies were waiting for him. Something seemed all too familiar as he heard the sound of the river running in the bank. _Have I been here before? To meet someone… _ It was dark and he could hardly see a thing. Then a figure seemed to form in front of him. All he could make out was a kimono and a hair ribbon. _Is that…?_

He stopped at a safe enough distance where he could go unnoticed, and also where he could identify the silhouette. _It's her! The Kaoru girl! I hope she doesn't see me… every time she looks at me I get these odd feelings building up inside of me… but at the same time, I do want to her to see me… I don't understand!_

He let out a groan.

She looked at him. _Oops._

"Good evening, Kaoru", he said. He might as well make conversation.

"Oh, is that you Himura-san? Where's Tomoe-san?"

"She stayed back at the inn."

"I see."

They watched the fireflies in peaceful silence. The silence became so comfortable that Shinta felt an unnerving bond with the mysterious girl, he felt he had to break the nonexistent tension. 

"The fireflies are beautiful aren't they?"

"Oh yes. Whenever I hear they've come for the season I come to see them as often as I can."

"I see…"

She continued. "I can't understand why. I feel as though I'm waiting for something or someone to come back to me."

He clutched his chest. Something was wrong. Her words were innocent, yet they created chaos in his heart. Though Shinta's turmoil increased, Kaoru remained unaware of the confusion in the man beside her.  

Suddenly, firefly flew up to him and started to hover around his eyes, as if to hypnotize him. He laughed. _Hypnotize me? I must be going crazy._

"Is something funny?"

"Oh, no. I was just thinking about something."

They both turned as they heard voices coming behind them. It was a young couple.

"Do you really have to go?"  
"I'm sorry, but they need me for the work."

Shinta felt as if someone slapped him. Why did these words have an effect on him?

"It's work you shouldn't be doing! Don't they know you quit a long time ago?"

"Yes. But it's very urgent."

"Please promise to come back to me…"

Shinta's heart was going crazy listening to their conversation. _Why is it beating so wildly?! Like someone is trying to take over my heart! Make it stop…_

"GoodBye…"

He felt his soul explode. His mind was racing… memories… of bloodshed… Kaoru-dono… Yahiko… Sano…

His eyes shot up.

Kaoru was still standing and watching the mesmerizing fireflies. It seemed that Kenshin was the only one who had been changed in that moment. It _seemed_ that way. "Kaoru-dono…"

She looked at him with different eyes. So much deeper than the cool blue from before, so intense they could see into his soul. The truth was mirrored in each other's eyes as they met in a gaze.

Kaoru was on her knees clutching her head in her hands. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Kaoru's eyes were widening and her face began to stain with tears as a flood of images danced in her head. _Why am I crying? Why is my heart telling itself to unlock? Why… _She found herself repeating something over and over. She stopped the memories in her head to hear…

"Kenshin… Kenshin… Kenshin…"

Suddenly all went white.

It was just Kenshin and Kaoru and one more…

~+~+~

Thank you SOOOOOOOOO much to all the lovely people who reviewed!! 

And to answer the Q, no I'm not from France! =)

I don't think this chapter is as good as it could be… darn it! I'll keep trying though! 

!~Un sourire pour tout le monde~!


	6. Part 5 A Fork in the Road

DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to the ingenious people who own and created the series!

PART 5. A Fork in the Road

He felt blinded by the light and overwhelmed by what had just occurred. Kenshin looked over at Kaoru still crouched over holding her head in her hands. Then he suddenly became aware of another presence. He whirled around as a figure appeared as if out of thin air. Tomoe stood before him with a deep sadness that was painted on her expression. "Tomoe…" Kenshin felt his heart tear in half as he stood between the two people he had held the dearest in his life. 

"When the choice resurfaced to you, my spirit was detained from me. It's up to you whether or not I receive my life back or not."

Tomoe wasn't looking at him as she spoke. _How can I make this decision? To kill her once was distressing… twice would be…_

"Tomoe…" it was all he could bring himself to say.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru had lifted her head to find him facing another direction, and she thought she had heard him say something.

He turned around and looked guiltily back at her. "Kaoru-dono."

"What are you doing, Kenshin? Are you just standing there talking to yourself?"

_Talking to myself?_ He turned back around to face Tomoe. Her face let him know that Kaoru couldn't see Tomoe. 

"No, not to myself, to a part of me."

She looked at him quizzically. _What is he spewing? Anyways, I wonder where we are…_

Tomoe continued to speak. "It seems you awoke after rekindling your bond with that girl. She must be very special." Her words held the note of happiness that he truly had found someone after her, and envy of the same reason. But no matter, her love was pure.

"Is this the time for me to make my decision?"

"Do you feel it is?"

Kenshin contemplated this inquiry as his mind brought up each and every event from both lives. Although he had only seen Yahiko and Sano briefly in the second life he knew that had he not been involved in their lives their present day existences would've been completely altered. Maybe even in a fatal way. But, Tomoe… Tomoe had always been there for him, even if sometimes she was missing physically, she had always watched over him in spirit… in both lives. _Both lives? When she lived, she watched over me. When she passed away, she watched over me._ He looked up at her. No, he decided that was not a basis of decision. She loved him as he loved her. He thought of the way this had come to happen in the beginning… _Kasumi-san, Akane-san, and Sakura-san practically forced me into this heartwrenching decision… They were trying to help, but in the long run they're just playing God with my life. I lived a life of suppressed pain and suffering, but that part of my life began to fade… _He raised his hand to his cheek. _With this scar…_

He knew what to do.


	7. Part 6 One Love

DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin= not mine! 

PART 6. One Love

His voice was strong. "Tomoe, I choose to live the life where I am Himura Kenshin, not Shinta. I became who I am because of you, and everything that happened, I believe happened for a reason."

She nodded. It appeared this is what she had hoped for, no matter how morbid it seemed. 

Kaoru was quietly listening to him with her head down. Her eyes filled with tears as she felt his pain in her own heart. 

"You are always in my heart, and although I cannot hold you physically where I am, our love was strong enough for that not to matter. Tomoe…"

They faced eachother for the last time.

"… goodbye."

He watched in horror as her white kimono became stained with blood, and she fell back into the mist. He chased her collapsing body, as he caught her, she vanished in his arms. He sat in shock as the red from his cheek began to fill his hands. The scar was once again cross-shaped. It was as if he was reliving the hell when he had first lost Tomoe… the feeling of shock when he discovered he had killed her first love, the overwhelming sadness of a love torn apart, the pain of her memory forever engraved on his cheek…

Kaoru looked up to see him sitting on the ground staring at his hands. When suddenly she smelled something… the scent of white plums…

Kenshin glanced up, but Kaoru was gone. He looked around frantically, and then he saw three faint figures in the distance. They had come. 

Kasumi-san spoke first. "We are so sorry to have caused you the pain you experienced while making this decision."

"We are now sure that you were intended to undergo those trying times in your life. They have helped you grow up into the person you have become." Akane looked at him with sad eyes as she finished.

Finally, Sakura-san spoke, "We will now return you to the live you chose…"

The now familiar white light engulfed him as he heard her final words to him… "Live, Shinta, live…"

~+~+~

Hi all! Part 5 and 6 are short, but I felt that putting them in the same chapter would've been wrong, so I separated them! But to make it fair, I posted them at the same time! =)

I was so happy when I saw more people had reviewed! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! –Merci beaucoup, tout le monde!-

There's more to this story, so please stay tuned!


	8. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: Nopers! RuroKen doesn't belong to me! 

His eyes shot open. He found himself laying in a field of wheat. He had been awakened by drops of rain sprinkling lightly onto his face. _I better get back to the others, they must be worried about me. _ 

The rain reminded him of times long ago when he had been with Tomoe. Something stirred in his heart as he thought of her. He looked up to the heavens… _I wonder how she's doing…_

Kenshin finally made his way back into town after 30 more minutes of being lost. He was now in soggy, and muddy clothing. As soon as he saw the sign for the Aoiya, he was filled with relief. He suddenly noticed a figure running towards him. 

"Look at you, you're all muddy! Where have you been?"

"Ah, Kaoru-dono! What are you doing outside? Please get inside, it's raining very hard."

"Same to you! What happened?" Her face was filled with worry.

"I got lost after visiting the grave…"

Kaoru felt a pang of embarrassment. _Of course! How could I have forgotten…_ Anytime he mentioned anything about Tomoe, she seemed to get flustered. Maybe because she felt that she had to share the man she loved with a deceased woman. "Oh… well come inside."

She ran inside with a new shade of red on her cheeks. 

Kenshin smiled as she dashed off. He understood why she became uncomfortable at any hints of Tomoe… _But now you don't have to worry… My eyes are only for you… _He stood outside for a little while after that. The memories of Tomoe suddenly began to flow from him, but now they seemed more pleasant, and he was stronger when facing them. A tingling feeling played upon his scar. He knew that the future would be much brighter, because he had come to except his past. Although, he didn't know how these new feelings had come to be. 

Kaoru watched him from an upstairs window… He looked so peaceful as he looked up at the rain. _I wonder… what would life have been like if Tomoe-san were still alive?_

Little did she know, the question had already been answered elsewhere.

The End.

~+~+~

Hey all! I finished it! Wowza! This was my first fic with chapters! Thank you so much to all who read [and enjoyed] it! I wouldn't have gotten this far without you! 

Many commented that Kenshin/Kaoru/Tomoe are rare… really? Maybe I should think of more!! =)

Oh! And to Daughter of Magic-san, the character on Sano's back is kanji for 'evil' (aku, like Shinsen Gumi's Aku. Soku. Zan), but that same character is used in the Japanese word 'bad', so they're both right! =)

And to everyone: Thank you for your enthusiastic support! =D

Thank you again for reading!!

(= Smile! It'll make you feel better! =)


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